PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
31 Moscovian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 53.69.13
Fax: (+374 – 10) 53.26.97
Email: info@heritage.am; office@heritage.am
Website:

14 March 2008

Human Rights and Artsakh: Heritage’s Day in Parliament

Yerevan–Today, March 14, the Heritage Party’s MPs Stepan Safarian,
Anahit Bakhshian, Zaruhi Postanjian, and Vardan Khachatrian received
at the National Assembly Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of
Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights. They exchanged concerns and
perspectives on improving the human rights situation in Armenia and
the region; overcoming the current state of emergency, the expanding
list of political prisoners, and the deepening crisis of public
confidence; and meeting the nation’s contemporary challenge of
securing democracy and due process, civil liberties and fundamental
freedoms for all. These, the parties concurred, are both a domestic
Armenian and a broader European imperative.

Later in the day and after great delay, the Parliament’s Standing
Committee on Foreign Relations considered for inclusion in the
National Assembly’s official agenda the draft law, authored by
Heritage leader Raffi K. Hovannisian, formally to recognize the
Mountainous Karabagh Republic. MPs Larisa Alaverdian, Anahit
Bakhshian, and Stepan Safarian represented the Heritage parliamentary
group at the session.

Presided over by Committee Chairman Armen Rustamian, the meeting once
again decided to postpone the examination of the matter, this time for
thirty days.

Founded in 2002, Heritage has regional divisions throughout the land.
Its central office is located at 31 Moscovian Street, Yerevan 0002,
Armenia, with telephone contact at (374-10) 536.913, fax at (374-10)
532.697, email at office@heritage.am or info@heritage.am, and website
at